Sunday, January 22, 2012

Valentine's Day - A Day Of Purity

I stumbled across this rather creepy video about a week ago. I took a look at the whole Day of Purity message sponsored by the Liberty Counsel, but watch the video first and see what message(s) you get from it.

The Purity Fact Sheet presents of number of "facts" that aren't so much after you look into them.

Teen virgins can expect an average income that is 16 percent higher than sexually active teens from identical socioeconomic backgrounds. This will mean an increased average salary of $370,000 over their lifetime according to the Heritage Foundation.

When a woman is married as a virgin, her divorce rate is 76 percent lower than a non-virgin. For men it's 63 percent lower, according to The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States.

Among those who have already lost their virginity, two-thirds wished they had waited longer to have sex (77 percent of girls and 60 percent of guys) according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

The Heritage Foundation study referenced by the first "fact" references another study and then draws conclusions as if the outcomes were strictly based on sexual behavior being the causal factor.

But later on, after considering all the factors involved in the study, there is this statement:

Next, a survey by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in which 501 young people between the ages of 12 and 17 were asked questions.I'm not saying the responses are false, but the important part that's missing are the reasons why they wish they had waited longer. As exciting and frightening the formative teen years are, one can imagine a number of reasons why someone who had sex at 12-17 years of age would wish they had waited. By the way, the respondents generally gave their sex education high marks, recommended waiting for sex until after high school, and said that sexually active teens should have access to birth control.

More from The Day of Purity fact sheet:

Every year on Valentine’s Day thousands of students participate in the Day of Purity in their schools, youth groups, and other public locations. Some people wear white shirts or wristbands to symbolize purity. Others pass out educational fliers to their peers or have a Father-Daughter event.

Leaving the "facts" aside, what I find disturbing is the emphasis on the young lady's purity. Sure, they want young men to wait until marriage as well, but the purity message overwhelmingly applies to the girl.

This video portrays the young lady as a temptress--not a particularly enticing one, but she's the one showing that opportunity awaits--and it's the creepy sounding bear acting as the young man's conscience reminding him of his responsibility to keep her pure until the big day. It's like girls can't help themselves and must be looked after to keep their purity intact. How demeaning.

So is the "Please use front entrance" sign on the door is an accidental double entendre?